As if he could read Gabriel’s desires and was well acquainted with his lack of impulse control, Uncle Roman cleared his throat.
Lucy shot him a look full of animosity.“And how doyouknow so much about The Gentle Rogue?”she asked accusingly, her chin doing that adorable lift into the air.
“I can answer that, too,” Gabriel said, laughing again, though it had an edge this time.“My uncle has no doubt had his spies following my every movement since the moment I tossed him out on his ear.”
“How can you know that?”his uncle growled, his hands like talons on the arms of that chair.“If you’ve lost your memory?—”
“I don’t know for certain,” Gabriel said with a shrug, finally feeling himself on solid footing again.“But earlier you mentioned that reports had reached you about my injury, and, well.I do remember some things.When we were children, nothing happened that you did not know about.You knew what we would do before we did it.I would have been more astonished to discover youdidn’thave me watched.”
“Might we refocus this conversation,” Uncle Roman said, steepling his hands before his grim face.“There is still the matter of Sir Colin Semple, and the fact that he has no doubt followed the trail of Lady Lucy’s connection to The Gentle Rogue to her engagement to Thornecliff—whose recent illness has, not coincidentally, coincided with a complete cessation in The Gentle Rogue’s activities.”
“When you put it like that, I’m surprised he hasn’t already shown up here with an arrest warrant,” Gabriel said dryly.
“He will not dare to accuse a duke without proof,” Uncle Roman said.Theeven one so degraded as youwas merely implied.“But how best to throw him off your scent?”
Of course, Gabriel thought, feeling weary and unutterably sad.Of course Uncle Roman is only here to safeguard the Thornecliff name.
Oh, and to attempt to somehow convince Gabriel that Lucy was a poor choice to be his duchess.Best of luck with that, old man.
Likely feeling his grip tighten on her waist, Lucy looked up at him with a tentative smile.“I may actually have an idea for that.But I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
Gabriel didnotlike it.
He didn’t like it when Lucy explained how she’d met Dominic at the village pub, and why she believed he would help them.Gabriel didn’t like it when Uncle Roman listened thoughtfully to Lucy’s plan, interjecting helpful ideas and agreeing with her all along the way.
He didn’t like it when Sir Colin Semple, the king’s man, arrived at the appointed hour for dinner at Thornecliff that evening, wearing his best formal attire and a blandly polite expression that didn’t match his watchful eyes.
And he especially didn’t like sitting down to table with Sir Colin, the Drakes, a bright-eyed, flushed Lucy, and Uncle Roman at his most forbidding, all the while knowing that his cousin, Dominic, was out there somewhere risking his life to keep Gabriel safe from the hangman’s noose.
“How nice to see you, Lord Roman,” Sir Colin said.“It’s been too long.”
“Are the two of you acquainted?”Lucy asked, seeming taken aback.
Gabriel wasn’t.His uncle was taciturn, serious, and unsocial, yet somehow the man knew everyone.There had even been rumors he’d served as an agent of the Crown himself, at one time; he certainly had the connections, both high and low, to make him useful to His Majesty’s government.
“Lord Roman and I run in similar circles,” Sir Colin responded vaguely as the footmen went round the table with the first course, which consisted of both chestnut and artichoke soups, and a dish of mackerel dressed with fresh fennel and mint.“I must admit, I was surprised to receive your invitation, Lady Lucy.”
Gabriel had to give the man credit.He didn’t tiptoe about.
“Once I heard you’d taken a room at The Prancing Pony, I could hardly resist,” Lucy replied lightly.“You were so droll upon our last encounter at Sharpe’s.I thought Thornecliff would enjoy meeting you.”
“Did you?”Sir Colin cocked his head.
Gabriel didn’t like the way the agent looked at Lucy, as though he was dissecting her with his beady little eyes.“Of course,” he said, drawing the man’s attention.“Any friend of my betrothed is a friend of mine.”
“Very kind of you, I’m sure,” Sir Colin murmured, taking a sip of his artichoke soup.
Around the table, the Drakes exchanged glances with each other and Lucy took a fortifying gulp of wine while Uncle Roman frowned repressively at her.
Gabriel knew he was meant to act as host, charming Sir Colin and keeping the evening lively and interesting.But all he could think about was Dom wearing The Gentle Rogue’s black mask and clothes, galloping up the Bath Road in search of a carriage to rob.
Chafing at the fact that he was sitting here uselessly eating fish while his brother faced unknown dangers and the threat of capture, Gabriel set down his fork with a clatter that made Lucy jump.
“Do your nerves trouble you?”Sir Colin inquired, taking another delicate sip of soup.“I wonder why.”
“Well, if I had to guess,” Fitz piped up, “it’s the presence of Lord Roman here that’s got the bride-to-be feeling jittery!I nearly jumped out of my skin like a molting lizard when I had to meet my dear Caroline’s mother again, after we eloped.She said she didn’t mind, but I thought she was still quite likely to box my ears for robbing her of her chance to see Caroline down the aisle!And of course, the whole business was complicated by the fact that she had married my father by that time.Caroline’s mother had, I mean, not Caroline.”
